Chelsea and I both recently acquired a PMD Personal Microderms and I can't even tell you how excited I was for this little gem. I've learned all about microdermabrasion and its benefits in aesthetics school, and honestly it is one of my favorite treatments to do on clients and have done to myself so far. So even though one day I will be hoping that you will become a client of mine and that you'll come see me in my spa so I can do a microdermabrasion treatment on you, I'll just let you in on this little secret that will help you save a lot of money in the meantime. Then you can come get all the other fun treatments from me instead! ;)

For those of you who aren't super familiar with microdermabrasion, here is a little background. Microdermabrasion is a general term for the application of tiny aluminum dioxide crystals to buff away the surface layer of skin. The idea is that if you remove or break up the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, the body
interprets that as a mild injury and rushes to replace the lost skin cells with new and healthy ones. This leaves your skin feeling immediately softer and smoother (you'll want to touch your face but try to avoid it so bacteria doesn't get back onto it) and also allows product to penetrate deeper into the lower layers of skin. Estheticians recommend that you get these treatments done at regular intervals because this influences faster cell turnover which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and also helps with acne and acne scarring.
Doing this treatment at home on your own might sound a little scary but as long as you are very thorough in reading, watching and following the directions and you understand the concept, I think this little baby could be a game changer. Know that there is mild redness and swelling that may occur immediately after your treatment but it should subside anywhere from an hour to a day or two. (I use mine at night before I go to bed and when I wake up the redness is gone, but everyone is different.)

I was able to use mine last Sunday night and I have already seen a huge
difference in my skin. I have combination, acne prone skin and I have a
lot of blackheads that never go away (true story, makeup is magic). I
have already seen a difference in the texture of my skin, its so smooth
now, and pore size seems to be minimized because it helped unclog my
pores. I can't even wait to see the results of my second treatment!
Chelsea and I will do an update post about this amazing product after
we've had the chance to do multiple treatments so we can share the
results with you!

Last thing, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I bet you thought I forgot, huh? Nope! I love today and I am so excited to see every one's costume posts! I hope you all have such a fun day! Be safe!

How cute is the flamingo phone case from Kidogo Kidogo?! It reminds me of when my husband and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. We had flamingos at our hotel, and I loved going out in the morning and seeing them. I love the Kidogo Kidogo phone cases because every time you purchase one, it helps go towards purchasing a phone for a woman in Tanzania. These women don't have phones, and their ways of communicating with people in other towns is limited. We all know what our phones can do. They can be a flashlight, calculator, they can show us the weather forecast, and keep us organized. Plus we are able to call, text, and email with them.

Even though my favorite accessory is probably my purses, my phone is the most used. I need my phone to be protected, so I always have a case on them. Why not purchase a phone case that helps someone else receive a phone? Cell phones are live changing, and I'm so glad Kidogo Kidogo is helping low-income women receive phones. Also-I LOVED reading the stories from women who have received phones. Please take the time to read them!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Halloween is so soon! Do you have your costumes
ready? Every year I plan on having my costume figured out and actually
finished well in advance but it never fails that the month flies by and
suddenly its Halloween and there I am scrambling to put one together. If
you're like me, Pinterest is your lifesaver as well. How did I ever get
by without it?!

Today Chelsea and I thought we would share some of our favorite last minute DIY Halloween costumes from Pinterest just in case you needed a little inspiration.

I love navy. My closet is mostly filled with navy or black clothing, and I'm okay with that. Literally every time I go shopping, my eye goes towards the navy and black. My husband always tells me to branch out, but I just can't help myself. Both my purse and my flannel top were birthday presents from my husband (that I helped pick out), and I always want to wear this outfit now. It's so comfortable, and my purse goes lovely with it.

Are you guys ready for Halloween? I finished sewing my costume on Sunday night, and I am SO excited to share it with you guys. It's nothing spectacular, but it was my first sewing project that actually mattered. **side note-my parents got me a sewing machine for graduation, and I've been sewing little headbands and zipper pouches for practice** Anyway-it's the first year that I'm actually excited about Halloween because I'm so proud of my little homemaker self. Check back tomorrow for some great last minute Halloween costume ideas!

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely fall weekend! I cannot even believe it is almost Halloween! October has flown by, it's so crazy. I hope you've gotten lots of fun activities in so far! Do you have your costumes figured out? Later this week we'll be posting our favorite last minute costumes just in case you need a little inspiration!

This weekend the Mr. and I made a little afternoon trip up to the mountains with some friends, typical us right? I'm still so surprised that there's little to no snow up there yet! I'm not too sad about it though, I'm okay having a long fall. It was cool up there but not too chilly so I was comfortable wearing my favorite cargo jacket over a chambray button up and some black jeans and booties. I've recently been lusting over the black jeans with the slits at the knees but I couldn't get myself to spend a fortune on a new pair when I own at least 6 pairs of black jeans (they're my favorite thing to wear obviously). So I decided to get crazy and cut one of my more faded, $10 H&M pair. Well really I had Chelsea help me cut them so we made sure we got the cuts in the right spot. I'm pretty pleased with the results and so is my wallet. Now instead of having a pair of faded jeans that I had pushed to the side, its like I have a brand new pair of distressed jeans! Yay for re-purposing!

I ordered this shirt off of Jane.com from Greenish about a month ago and I cant believe its taken me this long to show you. First of all, there's sequins on the sleeves. What more do I need to say? I love the color, its such a pretty blush and the rose-ish pink sequins complement it so well. There are other beautiful color choices as well. The cut of the shirt is loose fitting and in my opinion, very flattering. It's not boxy or awkward. This is one of those shirts that is completely comfortable to stand alone and take all of the credit. I paired it with a some jeans and a pair of black oxfords and loved how I came together.

Are you getting married anytime soon? Have your bridesmaids wear this with a high waited pencil skirt and some heels. The sequins add a pop of glam to the outfit and it photographs so well it will look amazing!

Follow @thegreenishshop on instagram so you can snag one the next time they go up on Jane.com or contact Summer from Greenish if you have questions about it, she is seriously the sweetest!

Sorry-This is a different post than what you normally see here on Arrows & Apricots. I just wanted to give you a quick update about some super cute hoodies that are on preorder sale right now at Mindy Mae's Market! You all know that we love our striped double hoodies, and I have a feeling that these hoodies will be worn just as much. They are on sale for $29.99 right now, and I don't know how long that will last. They will ship mid November, so they are a preorder. PLUS you all know that you get an additional 10% off with the code 'arrowsandapricots'. These hoodies fit just like the striped hoodie (a little more snug, so if you want more of a boyfriend fit-size up). We always want this blog to be a place where you can find cute, and affordable clothing (with the occasional splurge). We hope this helps with your fall/winter comfy clothing hunt!

So, I might have loved my Friday Favorites outfit so much that I just had to go out and find myself a cardigan just like the marled chunky-knit sweater I had posted. I kept the look similar but seeing as how today is Tuesday and not casual Friday (sad) I paired it with my favorite leather leggings and tan booties to dress it up a little. I love pretty much anything that is made out of this black and white marled knit material these days. Sweaters, pants, shirts, scarves, hats, literally. Everything. I especially love this cardigan because it has a little detail added to it, the seams and pockets are lined with a thin strip of black leather. I found multiple of these types of cardigans when as I was out searching but the simple addition of that little strip of leather sold me. I always love a little detail that adds contrast and texture to items.

I love oversized sweaters, so when I saw this sweater at Target I made sure to buy an XL. I roll the sleeves up a bit so that it doesn't look sloppy. I love pairing this sweater with my leggings and booties. When it's colder, it goes perfect with my riding boots and snow boots! I love the cream color because it's the perfect neutral. I can put a vest on over it, or even my winter coat for cold nights out. Can you tell I'm loving the fall weather!? What's your favorite thing to wear in the fall?